Aru Shah 4.5

Major Deja Vu

When the Potatoes reached the Council's meeting room, Urvashi and Hanuman were waiting for them, along with Nikita and Sheela. Aru, Mini, and Brynne hugged their younger sisters.

"You're finally coming out into the real world with us!" Brynne said.

"We've already been out there," Nikita said, rolling her eyes. "Don't treat us like babies."

Aru pretended to wipe away a tear. "You're growing up so fast."

Nikita shoved her arm. "I'd call you a bad word, but Sheela won't let me."

Sheela nudged her twin's shoulder. "They're crude and our parents don't like them."

"If I wanted to be told off, I would eat Brynne's junk food stash at midnight," Nikita grumbled.

Mini looked faintly disgusted. "Eating late at night can disrupt your circadian rhythm, which can lead to fatigue, insomnia, gastrointestinal dysfunction, and--"

"Death?" everyone said in unison.

Brynne raised a finger. "Actually, yes, especially if it's my junk food stash."

Hanuman coughed. "As enlightening as this reunion has been, we have work to do." He looked at Aru and she could feel his questioning gaze: Are you ready for what needs to be done?

She nodded, a tight, small movement.

"We should get moving, then." Urvashi gestured to the center throne of the Council. "Will you do the honors?"

Aru stepped forward, willing Vajra to her hand.

The white chair held an emblem of a golden sun. She changed Vajra into its pure lightning bolt form. The resulting electricity made her hair lift off her shoulders.

Her senses heightened. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, the embrace of a warm morning breeze. Her ears picked up the hitch in someone's breath, so quiet she almost missed it. She hated that she didn't need to turn around to know who had done it.

Fury and grief whipped through her in equal measure. Vajra crackled with power and Aru touched the hissing lightning bolt to the sun emblem.

The chair split into half, rotating sideways until an opening appeared, leading into infinite space, as if they were stepping somewhere that wasn't even on Earth--which it wasn't. A starry avenue stretched before them, interrupted only by a pathway of black marble.

"You must travel through the sky to get through the labyrinth," Hanuman said. "This is one of the routes that leads to the Halls of the Sun. Fortunately, you won't be going that far."

"How far?" Aru asked.

"You'll know when to stop."

That was helpful.

"Goodbye, Pandavas and Pandava-adjacents," Hanuman said, looking at each of them in turn. "See well."

- - -

"How are you, Aru?" Sheela asked.

Aru glanced over. Her little sister walked next to her, her hands in her pockets. A wooden staff was slung over her back. She looked more sure of herself, but at the same time, she looked smaller as she approached Aru, like she was scared of being yelled at.

Aru had no idea how to reply. "I..."

"Did something happen between you and Aiden?"

"That obvious, huh?"

"You're walking as far apart from each other as you can get."

"It was because of the prophecy." Aru dug her nails into her palms, willing her voice not to shake. "Aiden's and mine."

Sheela's eyes filled with tears. She looked down. "I'm sorry, Aru."

"It wasn't your fault," Aru sighed, staring at the blackness ahead of them. She wanted to blame someone, but the anger drained from her when she talked to Sheela. Her fury and grief had long burned down into nothing but ashes, swallowed up by the wind.

"Sometimes I wish I'd never been a clairvoyant."

"Why not?"

"I see things and I can only watch. I'm helpless to do anything anything about them. The future is such a fragile thing. The fates I've glimpsed..." She shook her head. "Keeping quiet about all of it is so hard. Sometimes I hate it."

"But it's a gift as well as a curse," Aru said. "You've predicted all of our successes."

"And all of your failures," Sheela said bitterly.

"You can't help that. Focus on the good." Aru took her sister's hand. "Can you do that for me, Sheela?"

"I'll try." She took a breath. "Aru...something I saw..."

Aru's stomach twisted. She knows I'm going to betray my family, she thought. She looked away, over the side of the path--and inhaled in surprise.

The labyrinth floated in space barely below them, like an island. It was made of huge cavern rocks and encrusted jewels and it glittered like...well, gold. Aru eyed the long drop dubiously.

"We're here," she said, tugging at Sheela's sleeve.

The others caught up. Aiden rubbed his fingers over the shutter button on Shadowfax, most likely resisting the urge to document the sight. In the near-blackness, she could still see his face; weary, and sad.

He glanced up. She quickly looked away.

Rudy, Mini, and Brynne were all staring at the two. Aru ignored them.

"Well, now we know where we're supposed to go?" tried Sheela, breaking the tense silence.

Aru frowned. "That seemed way too easy. Seems like it should've taken longer."

"You shouldn't say that," Mini said. "You're going to jinx us."

As if on cue, a hiss split the air. It reverberated throughout the abyss so strongly that Aru's hair fluttered on her back.

"That has to be the guardian of the labyrinth," Brynne said.

She tugged at Gogo as a choker and it turned into a mace. Dee Dee sprang to its danda form in Mini's hands. Aru willed Vajra to become a spear. Aiden drew his scimitars and Rudy rested a hand on his messenger bag of jewels. Sheela pulled out her wooden staff and Nikita raised her hands. All of them stood alert.

Aru detected a distinct presence. Something was close, something that radiated pure malevolence and hatred.

Hanuman had mentioned to them before they left that the labyrinth guardian was a different creature every time. Sometimes a demon, or a demigod, or a deva. But what--or who--was this one?

"It's a naga," Rudy said, tensing. He touched the scales on his forehead reflexively. "But that doesn't make sense. My parents would know if one of our own was tasked to guard the labyrinth--"

A shape slithered toward them out of the darkness. All the Potatoes tensed, ready to fight.

The naga came closer until the purple glow of Dee Dee illuminated its face.

Familiar milky white eyes stared at them. Scar tissue twisted across the naga's brown face, caused by the fire that had burned down his home. And finally, a dark blue jewel was embedded in his forehead. Aru recognized him. She'd fought him two years ago.

"Ssso we meet again, Pandavasss," Takshaka said. He turned his head toward Aru, hood flaring. "Aru Shah. You and I have unfinished businessss."

A/N You haven't seen the last of the cliffhangers :)